~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~● Monique was a Spokesperson, Copywriter & Recipe Developer for Vitasoy USA in 2004.● Currently, Monique is a Wedding Officiant and Florida Notary Public, and co-founder of Tropical Miami Beach Weddings. She helps eloping couples have a romantic and stress-free destination wedding ceremony on Miami Beach with an exotic tropical theme. She also helps out-of-state couples get their Florida Marriage License by Mail before they arrive into town for their ceremony.

● Monique is also a contributing freelance writer for various magazines, websites, newsletters and other publications. Some of her recent articles have appeared in the following:

Monique was born in Miami Beach, Florida. Her mother was European and her father American. This exposed her to a diverse collection of cuisines from the very start. Monique always saw her mother and Dutch grandmother cook extraordinary, culinary delights from scratch, using all natural ingredients. In the 1970's, her parents began eating a whole-grain, vegetable-rich diet. This introduced Monique to a healthier way of eating at an early age, and was the foundation of her dietary choices as an adult.

Monique grew up and went to school in the South Florida area. She graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1988 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and Finance from Barry University, in Miami Shores. Monique's university experience taught her how to accurately research a topic and present it in a professional and easy-to-understand manner.

In 1989, Monique became a Certified Personal Trainer and Fitness Counselor. This increased her knowledge about health and fitness, and her understanding of the important role diet plays in a persons strength, vitality and longevity. Being concerned about health and nutrition, she and her husband (Michael Tagrin) became full-fledged vegetarians on Earth Day 1990 (April 20, 1990).

Giving up meat, fish and fowl began Monique and Michael's process of relearning how to cook. They had to learn how to provide complete protein and balanced nourishment in their diet. Their search for a good vegetable protein source lead to the exploration of soy. The writing of Virtues of Soy: A Practical Health Guide and Cookbook was the result of this decade long journey.

Monique not only researched soy's health benefits; she also created the scrumptious collection of recipes and the beautiful cover illustration. She is a fabulous writer, artist and soy food connoisseur. However, this challenging endeavor would have never been achieved without Michael's help as advisor, editor and official taste tester. The happy couple continues to reside in sunny South Florida (Miami).

In 2004, Monique was a spokesperson, copywriter and recipe developer for Vitasoy USA.

In 2006, Monique and her husband Michael formed Tropical Miami Beach Weddings. They perform marriage ceremonies, commitment ceremonies, and vow renewals on Miami Beach with an exotic tropical theme. To learn more about Monique's romantic and stress-free destination weddings, visit the Tropical Miami Beach Weddings website.

Currently, Monique still offers her expertise and knowledge about natural health, nutrition, fitness and tranquil living through freelance writings.

This blog is only intended to offer health information to help you understand the benefits of a healthy diet and lifestyle. It is not intended to diagnose, dispense medical advise or prescribe the use of diet as a form of treatment for illness without medical approval. In the event you use this information without a health practitioner's approval, you are prescribing for yourself, which is your right. However, the publisher and author assume no responsibility.